Apple 4G iMac: first unboxing, impressions
By Ryan Block 
posted August 8th 2007 2:54PM
posted August 8th 2007 2:54PM
- The friendly, white packaging betrays the slick sense of style of the machine inside. (MacBook Pros and Mac Pros have much more appealing matte black boxes.)
- Its 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo and full-size drive is way snappy -- the machine boots from cold to desktop in 26 seconds (granted, it's a clean install without any third party software installed).
- Upon closer inspection we weren't too stoked about the screen. The colors are rich, but compared to our Dell 24-incher (at 400 cd/m2, 1000:1 contrast ratio), the iMac was still dissatisfying. Despite its very decent 380cd/m2, 750:1 CR display, contrast was still very low, and working with objects and icons white window space was even at times strenuous on our eyes.
- The Apple Remote no longer magnetically clips on to the side! Pssh!
- We love -- really love -- thin keyboards, and the new Apple keyboard is as thin and aesthetically pleasing as they come. Unfortunately, it's just not too usable since, like the MacBook keyboard, the keys aren't shaped with ridges to help your fingers find their way. (And what can we say? We really dislike the Mighty Mouse, always have.)
- We also suspect Mac laptop and Apple Pro Keyboard users will be irritated by the function-key shortcuts having been moved around; or example, laptop volume keys went from F3-5 to F10-12, Exposé went from F7 to F3, etc. Also, what's up with F16-19?
- The RAM bay is super easy to get to with the machine on its face. As usual, you get two slots. We really wish the hard drive was this easy to get at.
- Despite our niggles, it's straight up the thinnest, sexiest Mac desktop machine Apple's produced to date; Cupertino really needed to drop the white, plastic overgrown iPod look, and we're grateful Jobs & co did.
HDMI input would be so awesome with this thing. They're certainly big enough.
looks like a sony product.
Looks like ass.. the black bezel makes it look cheap, the Jay-Leno chin is still there and as prominent as ever, the KB and mouse are about FORM over function, why are there wires at all?.. and, you knows this is going to be running hot as an oven like all Macs... and of course, theres the Steve Jobs Tax that is tacked on.
and you probably like the way the dell xps looks...
next go around save time by just typing "i hate everything apple for just being apple blah blah blah."
Should he just go ahead and say that he likes everything Apple just for being Apple. I, for one, think it looks like a minor spec upgrade that they decided to paint black at the last minute. How is this a new design?
@ andres, and I'm sure you've never said you hated anything Microsoft just because it was Microsoft
The black bezel was likely added in an attempt to improve the contrast (perhaps last minute) of the apparently less-than-stellar contrast LCD. A White border can make a screen look less bright with lower contrast, particularly if it is low contrast to begin with.
I agree. And I'm no Mac h8r. My main machine has been a Mac for over ten years. Mac is going weak in hardware. Even in the looks department. Form over function is so true about the new keyboards. Why the hell else would you have flat keys? Horrible, horrible. Black border = crappage. Apple products are at a dead end design wise and they can't keep up with the technology + price race. Pretty sad. The iPhone was big but I predict Apple will loose out to clones there shortly. They aren't mobile phone experts because they brought one out. Ramble, ramble. Not sure where the hell Apple is going from here.
Agreed. This design looks old already. Two steps backwards.
This looks like ass:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/computers/desktops/IQ770_series/rts/4/computer_store/RN635AA%2523ABA
And these are really sexy"
http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/inspndt?~ck=anav&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19
Here's one that actually looks good from sony: But look at the price & the specs.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&productId=11040325&langId=-1
You're just an ass.
I agree about the black bezel. I've always thought of them as being deceptive. When the monitor is off the screen looks bigger than it is.
Does the Apple Remote still go on the side, or has that gone??
It doesn't!
niggles? who is going to release a formal apology for that one?
Niggles is a word.
Defined as nig·gle(ngl)
intr.v. nig·gled, nig·gling, nig·gles
1. To be preoccupied with trifles or petty details.
Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/niggles
So why the need for a formal apology?
This is the second time I've seen this word used in an Engadget post. Daniel, there are many words with horrible connotations out there that are in the dictionary, does that mean it is okay to use them in a computer review?
Stop being niggardly over the use of the word niggles...
I for one am too niggardly to purchase an iMac.
The origin of the word is scandinavian, from the 17th century. Any negative connotation is simply the result of your imagination.
The origin of the word is scandinavian, from the 17th century. Any negative connotation is simply the result of your imagination.
"Niggles" does not have any "horrible connotations". Get over it already. It's just a word that has a few letters in common with another word. Are you opposed to "duck" and "shin"? "Plastered"? "Punt"? They're all more similar to "offensive" words than "niggles" is to anything.
Next thing you'll be trying to PC entire letters out of the alphabet.
F16 = Sends text message to Steve Jobs' iPhone that says "YOU ARE TEH AWESOME"
F17 = Sends text message to Steve Ballmers phone that says "One less copy of Vista"
F18 = Sends text message to The Woz's iPhone that says "Thank you"
F19 = Sends text message to Eric Schmidt's phone that says "Get an iPhone yet?"
Except, iPhone doesn't do TXT messaging.
@Chad
Gee, if that's true, then why do all iPhone plans include 200 SMS text messages?
"All plans include unlimited data (email and web), Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, roll over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile and a one-time activation fee of $36."
Is this thing the same greyish color as a macbook pro or is it lighter in color?
Also, I'd have to agree with Tyk on the point about the black bezel looking kind of cheap.
I think the black bezel looks great and it will look even better when I see it in a store. It is hands down the best looking desktop ever made and maybe the complainers should look at their dell, hp or gateway box with a cheap plastic front to hide the fact that they are all the same boring rectangles and be thankful for a cool design.
I suspect they put in a black bessel around the edges to give the illusion that the image is brighter.
If you put a white background on the screen, and compare it to the white shiny rim of the mac pro's of late, then the white screen would not look as white.
I think this is a real goed computer for the masses, not so for people like me who like to tinker with things. It is defintely designed not only with the 'men' in mind (which is a good thing)
Actually, the black bezel makes it look extremely cheap in person under bright lights. I nabbed one this morning for my nephew who is going off to college next week, and I was definately not impressed. I liked the upgraded specs, and the plethora of software it comes with, but glossy screen was mirror-like, and the keyboard was a joke. This thing is supposed to be aimed at students, but I would love to see a student try to tap out a 20 page essay on this thing. The lack of ridges or any sort of curvature to the keys themselves seems like such a glaring oversight, and ruins what would otherwise be a very attractive looking keyboard. On the upside, the built in bluetooth makes replacing both that and the ridiculous 'mighty mouse' with more practical 3rd party hardware.
I tried to get the salesman to knock 20 bucks off the price and leave out both keyboard and mouse, but he said something about policy not allowing that, which is fair enough I thought. So I took it over to the corner after purchasing it and went to remove both, thinking I'd just donate them to the techs in the back as I'm sure someone could put them to use, and putting them on ebay wouldn't be worth the 5 bucks they'd fetch frankly. Two employees actually got in my face, shocked that I would A) open a box of purchased goods like that instore, and B) actually *not* want one of their included peripherals. I tried to explain the situation calmly, but the more I talked the more aggrivated they both got with me, which made no sense then anymore then it does now. Finally I lost my patience, slammed both keyboard and mouse on the desk, informed them loud enough for everyone in earshot (which was everyone at the store by that point, thanks to their already raised voices) that I didn't want their damn cheap crappy parts, and stormed out of there without another word. I've bought a lot of things in my life, but I've never been treated like that before. That they wouldn't want the 'free' peripherals anymore then I did was nuts, but that it would actually upset them to the point of shouting at me is just bat-shit insane. Long story short, the manager called me an hour later, appologized and even gave me a half off deal on a wireless keyboard and mouse set from logitech, which I appreciated. I'm still shocked more then anything... in hindsight it was probably funny watching me try to politely give them free stuff only to have them shove it back at me. Usually Apple folks treasure anything Jobs-ian in design :-p Anyhoo, that's my adventure.
Cash - Great post! I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
@Cash, omg. I'm going to do that just to get 50% off a wireless keyboard/mouse.
@Mile
Thanks, but I'm hoping I don't have something like this to post about anytime soon :-p Besides, my day to day life isn't nearly as exciting as this morning was, sadly.
@Cash
Actualy when you're in sales...It actualy annoys most people when you turn down free stuff, because there really is no point to turning it down...Seriously if you don't want it, Take it and chuck it away as soon as you get it, or give it to someone who is a little more thankfull, just don't try give it back, its really annoying.
@James
I don't know what company you've worked sales for, but you find it more acceptable to either A) stash something you aren't going to ever use in some random drawer where it can collect dust or B) throw it away in the nearest dumpster as opposed to giving it to someone else that has a higher chance of actually putting it to good use, that isn't a company I would ever want to work for, and you certainly aren't an employee I would ever hire. I don't know what sort of life you've had up to this point, but I learned years ago that even if I had no use for something, chances were someone else would be more then happy to have that thing instead. Other people's trash etc etc. The louder of the two employees said almost exactly what you just did, which surprised the manager when I passed that on to him, as apparently that same employee is the 'recycle freak' of the store. Go fig.
Cash...let's see, "It looks cheap, you weren't impressed, didn't like the glossy screen, keyboard was a joke, the absence of ridges & curves ruins it, the mighty mouse is ridiculous, you didn't want the cheap & crappy parts." So my question is...why did you buy it?
You were shocked when they didn't want the peripherals back...by the way... you didn't want them either, so why were you so shocked?
You also said you life wasn't normally this exiting...sounds like you don't have a life. Why buy something you don't like and then why tell the world you bought something you don't like???
@Cash: Don't you think it's a bit over the top to return keyboard and mouse when you haven't even tried them and neither has your nephew and your nephew is a student and would probably very happily have sold the peripherals on ebay. The Mighty Mouse alone is $50 in the Apple store so what makes you think you can't get more than $5 for a MM + keyboard? That doesn't make any sense.
BTW I would be very happy to take this keyboard and MM off your hands. I'd even pay for shipping. Ok?
@ Cash
Its just that, first of all, you have paid for the item, it is yours, and legally the store does not have to take it, because it does not belong to them. And as you describe, the keyboard could not have been resold, as it is not an individually packaged item. No I would obviously accept the keyboard back from you with some confusion as to why, but I would never just deny you, of course that employee took it to extremes but in reality, his idea was, to give the customer the best value possible. When you tried to return the keyboard and mouse you were willingly losing out, and when you sell overpriced goods, and the sales person knows that, then you feel that you should give the best deal possible, and when they try to give you things back, at loss to themselves, it is is confusing because you cannot understand why..
Ill take "em
@ Cash -
Hey, was that by chance a Best Lie, oops, I mean Best Buy, store? Just sounds on-par with the idiocy that I've experienced at my local store.
But in general, what I really want to know is, will this new Macintel PC run WOW and run hot enough to cook my pizzas while I play so I can multitask like I can with my AMD PC?
Pizza Master Zach
Niggles with the keyb and mse aside, it's sad that I'm too niggardly to punt the cash for this toy. I'm trying to tuck away for necessities.
Will it blend?
That is getting old and tired, like the iMac LCD screen.
Throwing electronics in a blender NEVER gets old...
does it play doom?
Glossy good or bad?
Bad in anything other than a completely dark room or a perfectly positioned screen / window / desk combo.
For example:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/apple-4g-imac-first-unboxing-impressions/344904/
As hard as he tried to make it look like it doesn't have glare problems, bamn, right bottom corner.
Gloss is bearable when your looking at very bright things like white screens with dark text, such as most of the work you do on a computer. Be prepared to be disappointed when you go to use your new iMac 24" as a TV / Movie player, because it's completely the opposite.
Bad. I set up my nephews (ok he set it up, I watched like a big kid) an hour ago and it reflected light from the desk lamp, the desk itself, and the window behind him. It was easy enough to fix with a ten dollar glare/privacy filter by 3M that I picked up down the street from Best Buy, but why Jobs would go out of his way to mention that 'people seem to prefer the glossy screen' seemed a little silly to me, as I've never heard anyone say anything positive about them in real world situations. It's a cheap fix and therefor not a deal breaker, but contrast-wise, the screen is not as attractive as comparable models from Samsung or Dell. On the upside, there were no dead pixels, and no backlight bleedthrough either. Response was good, with no bluring or artifacts during HD playback of action scenes. The 24 inch screen is definately going to buy him some dorm cred, as it looks fantastic when playing movies. All in all, I think he's going to be really happy with it, which makes me happy as I am footing the bill :-)
@ Cash
That's a nice uncle. Don't let me nephew hear about this. :)
PS - get him a Kenningston Lock for that thing if you want to keep it in his dorm room. :|
It's good for the MPAA. No more of that group media thievery people do. About time that gets dealt with!
@getz76
Yeah I earned a bit of 'Awesome Uncle' cred this morning, about $1700 worth, or however much it was including taxes. :-) I kinda trapped myself in a corner last spring when I promised him I'd buy him whatever Apple released in August if he got straight A's that semester. It was a 50/50 bet, as Apple either updates the iMac/Macbook line, or the iPod in August, so I didn't think twice about it till he handed me his final report card with that classic teenage shit eating grin. He's a good kid though, and his mom/my sister is recently divorced so things are a little tight money-wise for them right now. I was going to get him the 20" model till I saw how nice the 24" was in looks and specs.
The girl who sold it too me talked me into getting him the kensington lock too, actually. I figured it would be safe in his dorm room, but she reminded me that people are always coming in and out of dorm rooms, and although doors are usually locked by default, most college aged kids forget to make sure the door is closed all the way behind them when they leave. I couldn't argue with a 20-30 dollar protection for a 1700 dollar investment.